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John Zimmer is one of the two founders of the ride-sharing service Lyft, and on a hazy spring afternoon, he was standing on the top of one of San Francisco’s highest hills — amid multi-million-dollar homes and cypress trees, the whole city sprawled out before him — trying to get a ride back to the start-up’s offices in the Mission District. The service offers both carpooled and private rides, and he opted for the former. “We got a match with Amanda!” Zimmer said. “Larry’s going to pick up Amanda first.”

Minutes later, a Subaru arrived, driven by a grizzled documentary filmmaker, with a silent young woman with swooping bangs and chipped nail polish in the back seat. After hopping in the front, Zimmer asked Larry how long he had been driving with Lyft, engaging in some secret-shopper-style market research. (Larry did not realize Zimmer is Lyft’s president.) “Just about four weeks. So, I’m a newbie,” Larry responded.

“And how do you like it so far?”

“I like it very well,” Larry said, explaining that he had ended up with a little too much income tax due this year and was using Lyft to bump up his earnings. “It’s perfect. It’s filling in the gaps right now.”

Larry pointed out the Uber offices as we drove past them, and Zimmer gently asked whether he had ever driven for the company. Just for a week, Larry said. “I didn’t like Uber much,” he said. “I figured I was going to try both anyway, but I prefer the way that Lyft interacts with the drivers better.”

“Was there a difference in the passenger experience?” Zimmer asked, his tone a Californian meld of earnestness and nerdery.

“From my point of view, there wasn’t,” Larry said. “I do hear that people prefer Lyft, or they’ll just take whichever service is cheaper at the time. I guess it depends what you’re looking for. If you just want to get from point A to point B, it doesn’t matter if the driver is friendly or not.”

Throughout the winding ride into the Mission, Amanda remained silent, tapping on her iPhone, treating it more like a cab ride than a social occasion. Eventually, Zimmer turned to her, asking how long she had used the service. “Two years?” she responded, finally looking up. “I deleted Uber a year ago. I just had so many bad experiences. Driver not saying I got out of the car when I got out of the car, and driving around for a few more blocks to overcharge me. Happened like three times in a row. And then they’d just be very rude to me. They’d call and say I’m not where I said I was. And I’d say, ‘I’m standing where my pin is!’ I’m very on top of that,” she said, pausing for a beat. “Just generally being assholes.”

Zimmer flashed a smile at the answer. The company he built is the pink, fuzzy alternative to black, sleek Uber. Its founding tagline is “Your Friend With a Car,” whereas Uber’s is “Everyone’s Private Driver.” Lyft prides itself on providing a friendly, even fun service, rather than a silent luxury ride, and on building a community of drivers and passengers.

And yet the truth is that in many ways Larry is right, too: A lot of people trying to get from point A to point B see more similarities than differences between Lyft and Uber. This has helped make the rivalry between black and pink among the most heated in San Francisco: a big-moneyed battle for ride-sharing supremacy in which one participant is conspicuously overmatched. (Forget traditional taxis — they’re considered hopeless.)

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I think those two taglines have had tremendous effects on the riders. With those two distinctive taglines, Uber riders generally are known to tip less, more rude, disrespectful, and condescending to the drivers than Lyft riders.

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John Zimmer is one of the two founders of the ride-sharing service Lyft, and on a hazy spring afternoon, he was standing on the top of one of San Francisco’s highest hills — amid multi-million-dollar homes and cypress trees, the whole city sprawled out before him — trying to get a ride back to the start-up’s offices in the Mission District. The service offers both carpooled and private rides, and he opted for the former. “We got a match with Amanda!” Zimmer said. “Larry’s going to pick up Amanda first.”

Minutes later, a Subaru arrived, driven by a grizzled documentary filmmaker, with a silent young woman with swooping bangs and chipped nail polish in the back seat. After hopping in the front, Zimmer asked Larry how long he had been driving with Lyft, engaging in some secret-shopper-style market research. (Larry did not realize Zimmer is Lyft’s president.) “Just about four weeks. So, I’m a newbie,” Larry responded.

“And how do you like it so far?”

“I like it very well,” Larry said, explaining that he had ended up with a little too much income tax due this year and was using Lyft to bump up his earnings. “It’s perfect. It’s filling in the gaps right now.”

Larry pointed out the Uber offices as we drove past them, and Zimmer gently asked whether he had ever driven for the company. Just for a week, Larry said. “I didn’t like Uber much,” he said. “I figured I was going to try both anyway, but I prefer the way that Lyft interacts with the drivers better.”

“Was there a difference in the passenger experience?” Zimmer asked, his tone a Californian meld of earnestness and nerdery.

“From my point of view, there wasn’t,” Larry said. “I do hear that people prefer Lyft, or they’ll just take whichever service is cheaper at the time. I guess it depends what you’re looking for. If you just want to get from point A to point B, it doesn’t matter if the driver is friendly or not.”

Throughout the winding ride into the Mission, Amanda remained silent, tapping on her iPhone, treating it more like a cab ride than a social occasion. Eventually, Zimmer turned to her, asking how long she had used the service. “Two years?” she responded, finally looking up. “I deleted Uber a year ago. I just had so many bad experiences. Driver not saying I got out of the car when I got out of the car, and driving around for a few more blocks to overcharge me. Happened like three times in a row. And then they’d just be very rude to me. They’d call and say I’m not where I said I was. And I’d say, ‘I’m standing where my pin is!’ I’m very on top of that,” she said, pausing for a beat. “Just generally being assholes.”

Zimmer flashed a smile at the answer. The company he built is the pink, fuzzy alternative to black, sleek Uber. Its founding tagline is “Your Friend With a Car,” whereas Uber’s is “Everyone’s Private Driver.” Lyft prides itself on providing a friendly, even fun service, rather than a silent luxury ride, and on building a community of drivers and passengers.

And yet the truth is that in many ways Larry is right, too: A lot of people trying to get from point A to point B see more similarities than differences between Lyft and Uber. This has helped make the rivalry between black and pink among the most heated in San Francisco: a big-moneyed battle for ride-sharing supremacy in which one participant is conspicuously overmatched. (Forget traditional taxis — they’re considered hopeless.)

Yes they will survive. Most riders i pick up in Atlanta use both apps and see which is cheaper at the time. More and more drivers will be going to Lyft when they see how bad UBER is.

I drive LYFT. I drive UBER when LYFT is slow. I engage EVERY UBER rider with why I prefer LYFT over UBER. The reason: UBER has a corporate policy which does not allow a 'cashless' experience if my rider felt that I have done a superior job and would like to reward me with a dollar tip. UBER is presently valued as a $60B company and won't let their driver's earn a dollar extra on a ride? UBER is arrogant, uncaring and evil. And I will spread the word on EVERY riede until I see a tip option on the UBER app. Rant over.

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Yes they will survive. Most riders i pick up in Atlanta use both apps and see which is cheaper at the time. More and more drivers will be going to Lyft when they see how bad UBER is.

I drive LYFT. I drive UBER when LYFT is slow. I engage EVERY UBER rider with why I prefer LYFT over UBER. The reason: UBER has a corporate policy which does not allow a 'cashless' experience if my rider felt that I have done a superior job and would like to reward me with a dollar tip. UBER is presently valued as a $60B company and won't let their driver's earn a dollar extra on a ride? UBER is arrogant, uncaring and evil. And I will spread the word on EVERY riede until I see a tip option on the UBER app. Rant over.

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As a newcomer to uber, I find this site to be the most disorganized mess ever designed. Cannot find my city yet I see uber - marked cars all over the city. Fare estimate gizmo does not work. Site does not recognize destinations, etc. I will stick to taxi and public transit.

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